The story behind Toto's 'Africa'

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/01/31/the-story-behind-totos-afr.html

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God’s using me for an instrument here!'

He sure is buddy.

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I hate the lyrics, which are kinda stupid and possibly even offensive, yet love the song enough that I could happily listen to it several times in a row. I’m having a hard time imagining people dancing to it, though.

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Give it a try one step out of key, and off beat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwNGR792Ifk

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There are people who don’t love Toto’s Africa?

Why, I was just thinking about it yesterday, as I do every time I urinate into a bathroom fixture made by the manufacturer Toto (no joke).

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This is where the term “earworm” comes into play. I think people hate how when they hear the song they can’t get it out of their heads for hours.

Now that he’s explained the origin of “I bless the rains” I feel less bothered by it. In fact, instead of sounding condescending, the lyrics almost sound deep now. A corny love song about a lonely priest trying to stay celibate? WTF.

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Hmm I had always thought it was “I left the reigns down in Africa “

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Bob Lazar on drums. Howard Stern on keyboards.

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“I bless the rains down in Africa.” I always thought they were saying something else. I’m not sure what, but it reminds me of this:

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I figured the song came out of a drunken bet that David Paich couldn’t put the words Kilimanjaro, Olympus, and Serengeti into a single lyric of a rock song and make it work.

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A choir mimics a thunderstorm using their hands, then they start singing…

https://www.facebook.com/viraloop/videos/1797870973843881/

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Then this should blow your mind. What late 60’s French fashion models attempting to dance to a version of the Karelia Suite as performed by Keith Emerson & The Nice looks like… and it ain’t pretty.

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As a necessary corrective - take it away Jeffster:

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annnnnd now I do too.

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They said loneliness and celibacy were the hardest things about life out there.

These missionaries, they did realize they were around other human beings, right?

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https://www.google.com/search?q=toto+africa+interpretive+dance&oq=toto+africa+interpretive+dance&aqs=chrome..69i57.7318j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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Did we talk about how the lead singer of Toto is composer John Williams son ?

I’m lost in a bbs dungeon. and i smell like a grue.

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I member that song. Do you guys member that song?